International binding agreements oblige signatories, including Ireland, to reduce their use of mercury to protect the environment. In response, the Irish Government need to phase out the use of dental amalgam by 2030. The aim of this evidence review was to examine factors relevant to phasing out amalgam and consider...

Inadequate community supports and deficiencies in access to services outside of regular office hours have been linked to poor outcomes for patients with life-limiting illness. Policy-makers, researchers, providers, patients, and carers in Ireland have all identified out-of-hours care as a key deficit in current service...

Regional health organisations have been implemented in health systems throughout the world as a means of ensuring that health services meet local needs. The aim of this evidence review was to investigate the impact of introducing a regionalised healthcare system and to determine the key barriers to and facilitators of the...

The scope of this rapid realist review was developed through a high-level review of relevant literature and early engagement of knowledge users in Ireland. The Health Research Board (HRB) proposed three research questions to guide the rapid realist review. Keeping in line with the realist approach, the research team carried...

The aim of this review of vaccine injury redress programmes in 11 jurisdictions was to investigate the association between design features of the programmes and operating costs, timely access to compensation, number of applicants, and the volume and costs of awards. The databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science,...

This information review, undertaken on behalf of the Department of Health, informs the National Healthy Workplace Framework and implementation plan and will contribute to the business case for healthy workplace programmes. Five anglophone countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the USA) were included...

The purpose of this review is to systematically evaluate the evidence on quality of life outcomes and costs associated with a move from a congregated setting to a community living arrangement for people with intellectual disability. The right to live independently in a place of one’s own choosing is a core value of the...

This HRB evidence review identifies 13 integrated interventions between the hospital and the community that were tested to see if they reduce pressure on acute hospitals among adults. In this review, a reduction in pressure on acute hospitals was measured by a reduction in adult: admissions to hospital; readmissions...

Health workforce planning (HWF) is a challenging process that requires input from all involved in healthcare; a HWF planning framework helps governments and planners develop and implement strategies to achieve an effective and sustainable health workforce.

The National Bulletin contains a short national overview of the key statistics reported in the HRB report, Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2016. This includes information on admissions, discharges and deaths. Data is presented:

This report presents data on all admissions to, discharges from, and deaths in, Irish psychiatric units and hospitals, as recorded on the National Psychiatric In-patient Reporting System (NPIRS) in 2016.

This review examines the evidence on the effectiveness of interventions in the areas of harm reduction, prevention, treatment and long-term recovery related to illicit drug misuse and dependence. The primary research questions for this review were:

Drug-related intimidation is a pervasive and pressing issue negatively impacting the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities and the functioning of local agencies that serve them. The aim of this evidence review is to critically appraise the national and international evidence to identify best...

This evidence review describes approaches to the regulation and financing of formal home care services in four European countries. These are Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Scotland. It describes and compares published information on formal home care with respect to:

This evidence review from the Health Research Board examines the public funding mechanisms for Assisted Reproductive Therapies (ART) in different countries. The review looks at the associated costs and benefits for the funder, provider and patient, the criteria for accessing the public funded service and the basis for these...

This is the final report of a scoping study commissioned by the HRB National Drugs Library. The objective of the study was to examine the peer-reviewed empirical literature on case management and substance use between 2003 and 2013, and to answer specific research questions based on the literature. These comprised questions...

This report presents findings from the ninth national psychiatric census of patients in psychiatric units and hospitals, the latest in a series of censuses first carried out in 1963. The census is a count of all patients resident in psychiatric units and hospitals operating within the provisions of the Mental Health Act...

To facilitate the implementation of the HSE Breastfeeding Action Plan, the Department of Health requested the HRB to carry out a review of interventions which aim to increase initiation, exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding. The goal of this review was to identify evidence of effective interventions from good quality...